


What's Wrong With Me?

by good_mythical_miles



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: High School, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Religion, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 01:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5028958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_mythical_miles/pseuds/good_mythical_miles





	1. Chapter 1

“Science class was crazy today, huh?” Rhett asked with a quiet giggle. He was trudging ahead of Link, stepping over rocks and breaking sticks as he went along. The two boys were going on one of their usual adventures through the woods, looking for abandoned houses. They always made the best secret hang-outs. “Hurry up!”

Link was falling slightly behind, due to the fact that his thoughts were engrossed in images from class earlier. “Man, why do we gotta go over this shit again!?” Link complained. “We’re in high school now. We know about bodies…”

Rhett chuckled. “Just enjoy the boobs while you can.”

“Oh, there’s one!” Link jumped at his opportunity to change the subject. He pushed past Rhett and headed towards the ruined cabin a few feet away.

Luckily, they didn’t have to break anything to enter the building. Link walked through the doorway and grinned. He always loved seeing houses like these being overtaken by the Earth. The floorboards creaked as Rhett walked in behind him. “Woah,” he heard Rhett gasp. He shook his friend’s shoulder.

Link turned to look at what had Rhett transfixed. Of course. It was an enormous mural of a woman…in a very suggestive pose… “It’s so…accurate,” Link groaned.

“Seems like the ladies have been a motif today… Let’s chat.”

“Right here!? Can’t we, like, go somewhere else?” Link complained.

“Nah, man!” Rhett parked himself on a countertop nearby. Link sighed and sat on the dusty floor in front of him. “So! Got any girls on the mind?”

“Nope.”

“Liar,” Rhett pushed.

“I’m serious!”

“You have never once admitted to having a crush on a girl. We’re blood brothers! You need to tell me these things!”

“If I had a crush on a girl, I’d tell you.”

Rhett just rolled his eyes.

Later that night, Link was lying in bed working on his homework. His science teacher had assigned them worksheets of the male and female bodies to label. This was nothing new to Link—or any of the students, for that matter. The difference now, though, was that they were actually starting to care about these things. Throughout the lunch periods that week, the boys Link spent time with would be fawning over the girls in their classes as well as obnoxiously discussing the new facts they had learned that day.

Sure, this was annoying, but Link didn’t mind it that much. What he did mind, however, was that he wasn’t feeling the same way as his friends. He couldn’t care less about any of the girls. The diagrams that his friends were doodling obscene comics all over did nothing for him. He was feeling left out. He had spoken to the youth pastor at his church about this, and he had assured him that it was normal—that he just wasn’t hitting puberty as early as the rest of the boys.

Rhett’s almost non-stop pressure for Link to like a girl was wearing on him. It wasn’t happening any time soon. And honestly, Link was starting to feel like it never would.


	2. Chapter 2

Rhett was sitting at his desk bouncing up and down with excitement. “It’s the first basketball game of the season! You guys are coming, right?”

“You bet!” James said.

“Duh! The cheerleaders are gonna be there!” Nathan grinned.

Link let out a deep sigh. “Link, you’re coming, right?” Rhett asked once the other boys stopped paying attention. He sounded worried.

“What? Yeah, of course, man. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Of course Link wanted to show up to cheer for his best friend, but he knew that sitting with his classmates, who would be checking out all of the cute girls in tiny shorts, would be extremely irritating.

“Cool.” Rhett smiled his sweet smile and gave his friend a light pat on the back.

Sitting on the bleachers next to Nathan and James, Link was already completely fed up with the two boys. He tried his best to ignore them and watch Rhett warm up. After all, the only reason why he was there was to show his support for his buddy. The referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. The boys on the court began to do what they had been training for. The game started out slow, but soon enough, the Harnett Central High started to pull ahead. Rhett was clearly the star of the team. Link was screaming along with everyone else in the building, adding to the overwhelming cacophony of noise that rattled his bones.

Once half-time came around, James and Nathan left to talk to some girls they had been eyeing for a few days. Link stayed in his spot and started to zone out. His eyes traced the court. While Rhett was practicing his free-throws, Link found himself thinking, “Wow, Rhett sure is strong…” He stopped and shook his head as if to erase the thoughts from his mind.

Once the game started back up, Link, without realizing it, wasn’t paying attention to the score, but instead to the players themselves. The one thing that managed to snap Link back to reality was the final buzzer. He was surprised by how quickly the time had flown by. Looking at the scoreboard, he saw that they had won by a landslide. He grinned from ear to ear, knowing how happy Rhett must be feeling. He saw his friend celebrating down on the court with his teammates. The tall boy ripped his jersey off and began swinging it around in the air. Link’s mouth was hanging open as his eyes trailed up and down his toned shoulders and his back. The sweat that was causing his skin to shimmer under the fluorescent lights made Link’s heart rate speed up slightly. He began to notice a warm, fuzzy feeling in his lower abdomen. He knew what was happening. “No,” he mumbled, looking down at his crotch. He brought his feet up to the bleachers, hugging his knees to hide the bulge that he knew was about to be visible through his jeans. He started biting the nail of his thumb nervously.

James punched him in the shoulder. “I see what you’ve got cookin’ down there!” he chuckled. He leaned in closer and whispered, “Which girl is it? It’s Courtney, huh?” She had been standing right in Link’s line of sight throughout the entire game.

“Uh… I… No…”

“I know you’re lying! It’s okay! She’s got a cute butt, man!” He ruffled his friend’s hair teasingly.

When Link turned his head back to the court, he saw Rhett running up to join his friends. His face turned bright red, dreading the moment when he needed to stand up. He shut his eyes and silently repeated, “Go away, go away go away…”

“Hey, guys!” Rhett bellowed.

Link joined his friends when they stood to congratulate the young athlete. While the other three boys were screaming and jumping around, Link was hugging himself, trying to remain unnoticed.

After a short time, everyone began filing out of the gym to return home after the excitement died down. Once they were out in the chilly, dimly lit parking lot, Rhett pulled Link to the side. “Are you okay, man?” he asked.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine! I’m just really tired,” he lied.

“Good. Do you want to spend the night tomorrow?”

“I dunno, man…”

“You have to say yes. We haven’t had a sleepover waaaay too long!” he pleaded.

Link sighed and hung his head low, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’d like that…”

“I’ll call you tomorrow!”

As Rhett ran off to meet up with his teammates once more, Link sighed for the hundredth time that night. “It was just the excitement, right?” he whispered to himself as he began his walk home. “Is that even a thing? Can that happen?”

Link was lying on his side in the fetal position trying his hardest to fall asleep, but his mind wouldn’t let him. He was trying his hardest to force images of the cheerleaders to the forefront of his mind, but they just weren’t staying. His heart began to race again, and he once again felt that warm, fuzzy feeling. He rolled over onto his back to stare at the dark ceiling. After a long time spent in contemplation, he decided to let his hand travel down to the waistband of his boxers. Never having tried to pleasure himself before, he was scared. He just wanted to see what would happen. Maybe doing this would help him catch up with his friends somehow? “I’m an idiot,” he mumbled, although he still went through with his actions. His breath deepened as his hand wrapped around his member. He bit his lip and began to rub softly—carefully. With every slight movement of his hand, a wave of shivers was sent throughout his entire body. He wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but he knew he liked it. He allowed his head to roll to the side, his mouth hanging open. Link shocked himself when, suddenly, images of his best friend, sweaty and shirtless, popped into his mind. At that exact moment, his abdomen clenched and he felt a wet substance cover his hand. He was struggling to not make any noise.

It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and when he did, he whimpered. He pulled his hand out from under the covers and ran into the bathroom to clean himself off. A cloud of panic passed over his entire being. He collapsed onto the tiled floor, starting to pull at his hair as tears began to stream down his cheeks. “What’s wrong with me!?” he squeaked. How could he face Rhett tomorrow after what had just happened? How could he ever be around him again?


	3. Chapter 3

“Honey, Rhett’s on the phone!” Link’s mother called from down the hall. Link was silent. It was already 1:30 pm, and he still hadn’t gotten out of bed. There was a knock on his door, and when he didn’t say anything, she opened it. “Link, dear, Rhett’s on the phone.”

“Tell him I don’t want to come over,” he mumbled into his pillow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired.”

“I want you to go over to his house, Link.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re worrying me, and I know you’re happiest when you’re with him.”

The room was silent for the longest time, until Link crawled out from under the covers. “Fine,” he spat, pulling on some shorts and a t-shirt, before storming out of the house.

Once he was standing on the curb, he managed to gain control of his emotions, shocked at how he had spoken to his mother. He wasn’t usually like that. Link kicked a loose piece of asphalt along in front of him as he headed towards his best friend’s house. All the way there, he kept reminding himself that Rhett had no idea what had happened the night before, and therefore, this should be like any other day.

Of course, telling himself that didn’t help when he actually arrived at the boy’s home. When Rhett opened the door, Link’s gaze immediately fell to his feet. “Hey.”

“Hey! What do you wanna do?” Rhett asked boisterously, stepping aside to allow the shorter boy into the home.

“I dunno…”

“Wait…” Rhett paused.

“What?”

“I thought you were spending the night. Where’s your stuff?”

“Oh. I guess I forgot.”

“It’s okay. You can wear some of my stuff if you want.” He grabbed Link’s hand and dragged him energetically into the living room where the video games were.

It took quite a while, but eventually Link was glad that he had listened to his mom. The video games were a nice distraction, despite the fact that he was playing them with the one person that was causing him all of his distress. “Hey, Rhett?” Link mumbled after another round of their game.

“Yeah?”

“You’re a really great friend.” Link wasn’t totally sure why he said this, but he assumed it was because he was trying to reinforce the idea that Rhett was his friend, and nothing more.

For a moment there was silence between the two, and Link began to regret speaking up. Rhett put down his game controller and leaned closer to Link, pulling him into a hug. This action sent shivers all the way down Link’s spine. His heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Rhett’s strong arms around his shoulders brought comfort and warmth to Link’s inner being. The hug felt like it lasted an eternity, but in reality, Rhett let go almost immediately. Once the contact was over, Link felt himself starting to panic.

“Are you okay, man?” Rhett asked him.

“Uh… Yeah. I’m fine…”

“Woah, shit,” Rhett gasped, glancing out the window. “It got late… Do you want some dinner?”

“Yeah, sure. Where’s your family?” Link suddenly realized their lack of company.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. They had to go to out for the night. Just us, buddy!”

After the two boys ate some dinner, played more video games, and ate some ice-cream, Link let out a loud yawn. “Man, I’m beat.”

“Me too. I’ll go find the air mattress for you and we can hit the hay.”

“Thanks.”

———-

Rhett was startled awake by a noise on the floor at the foot of his bed. When he realized it was Link talking in his sleep, he grinned. He knew Link was sensitive about it, but it was one of his favorite parts of having sleepovers with him. Hearing the ridiculous things that came out of his mouth never ceased to entertain him. He sat up and looked over the edge of his bed so he could see Link. He was tossing and turning, mumbling, “Ugh, Rhett… Rhett… Please…” He sounded desperate.

He chuckled quietly. “I must be beating him up or something,” he whispered to himself.

When Link quieted down, Rhett returned to his previous position on his side and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to fall asleep once more, he heard a noise behind him. Before he could bring himself to look over his shoulder, he felt a weight on the mattress beside him. Link, still asleep, was crawling into his bed. He would have gotten up and taken Link’s spot on the floor, but he was so close to falling asleep that his brain wasn’t functioning properly. He closed his eyes, once again slipping into unconsciousness, when Link’s frail body snuggled up against his. The boy’s slender arm wrapped around Rhett’s torso and he nuzzled his face into his neck. Before Rhett’s mind could comprehend what had happened, he, too, was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Link slowly awoke to a warm body engulfing his own. He smiled softly and breathed in a deep breath without opening his eyes. He hadn’t cuddled with anybody like this since he was a small child. He forgot how comforting the feeling was, and comfort was the one thing that he had needed over the last couple of weeks. His mind slowly began to come back to him, when he remembered where he was: Rhett’s house. His eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start. Luckily, he hadn’t woken Rhett up. He carefully stepped off of the taller boy’s bed and crawled back into his sleeping bag on the floor. He must have been sleepwalking again… Link glanced at the clock on his friend’s wall, and saw that it was only 5:30 in the morning. It’d be a while before Rhett woke up, but there was no way that he’d be able to fall asleep again.

He let out the longest of sighs, trying to get comfortable. Unfortunately, his mind was unable to distance itself from the lingering feeling of Rhett’s warmth against him. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back in bed with his friend and cuddle up with the boy, his soft breaths caressing his skin. However, he just couldn’t risk getting caught by Rhett or his family, who were most likely home by now. Lying on his back and staring up at the dark ceiling, Link bit his lip and tried to ignore the soft, calm breaths coming from the bed above him. The longing that he felt in his chest was almost unbearable. After a while, it got so bad that tears began forming in his eyes. He rolled over onto his side and curled up into the fetal position, concentrating on expelling all of his energy into keeping his soft whimpers inaudible.

He had given up on trying convincing himself that he didn’t like Rhett more than as a friend. There was truly no denying it. However, he was still convinced that it was only because of how close they were. They spent their lives together—they were rarely apart. It would be impossible for him to not have these feelings, right? He was sure that it wouldn’t last. All he had to do was get through this weird phase. “Guys don’t like guys,” he thought to himself. “That’s just gross…” He sat up in his sleeping bag and looked at the clock again. 6:30 am. The sun was beginning to rise, and he was contemplating getting up and sneaking out of Rhett’s house and going to his own. Just as he twisted his body to stand up, he heard Rhett stir in bed.

The boy let out a loud yawn and glanced around the room until his gaze focused on Link. “Hey, man!” he giggled. “I had the weirdest dream…”

“Yeah?” Link always loved hearing about Rhett’s dreams. It always gave him some material to use when making fun of him. For example, the dreams when he was flying to his crush’s house were always the perfect topic to bring up if he wanted to push his friend’s buttons. He was surprised that Rhett still told him his dreams. Maybe this conversation would cheer him up a bit.

“Yeah. We were, like, cuddling! It was hilarious.”

Link’s heart stopped. He wasn’t sure whether to be happy or hurt about Rhett’s feelings towards his “dream.” Link wished he could shake Rhett by the shoulders and slap him, yelling, “IT WASN’T A DREAM!”

“That is weird, man,” he croaked.

“It was warm and cozy, though,” he laughed, clearly thinking that his dream was utterly ridiculous.

Link blushed. There was silence in the room for a short time, before he mumbled, “Ya know, I think I’m gonna head on home now.”

“Aaaw, why?” He sounded extremely disappointed.

“My back hurts and it’s been a long-ass week.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll see ya later, buddy.”

“Yeah, man. See ya later.”

Link leapt up and practically ran off. When he entered his house, he was immediately stopped by his mother. “Link, can I talk to you for a minute?” Her tone was intense.

“Um… About what?” Link was starting to sweat. He was always paranoid that he said something in his sleep that he didn’t want other people to hear. This was the main reason why he didn’t have sleepovers with anybody other than Rhett—he trusted Rhett with his life—but now he wasn’t sure if he’d even feel comfortable with that. Had his mom heard him talking about Rhett in his sleep?

“It’s about somebody at church.”

“Oh… Alright…” What was going on?

“Come sit at the table.” She ushered her son into the dining room and sat in the chair next to him. “So, you won’t be seeing Sarah around for a while…”

“Why?”

“She had to be checked into the psych ward.”

“What!?” Link was shocked. “What happened?”

“She’s been cutting, honey.”

“I dunno what that means,” he mumbled, embarrassed by his own ignorance.

His mom put a hand on his knee. “Sometimes, when people are really depressed or feeling hopeless, if they don’t necessarily want to…die…they will cut themselves…” He could tell that his mother was extremely uncomfortable with explaining this to him.

“You mean, like, with a razor?”

She nodded. “Yeah, honey. They say it releases some negativity or tension. I can’t believe people do these things… I’m sorry I had to tell you, but I didn’t want you to hear through rumors around school. Don’t worry. She’ll be okay.”

Link nodded and headed upstairs. “Poor Sarah,” he said to himself. She was always a really nice girl. He wondered what could be going on in her head that could have caused her to do something so horrible. He pulled out his pack of cards and began to set up a game of poker, which was his favorite way of passing the time alone. As his thoughts started to wander, they lingered on Sarah. Having an extremely curious personality, he began to imagine what the affect the razor had on her emotionally. Why would she do something like that? If it helped her…maybe it could help him? He shook his head. That was the stupidest thing that had ever gone through his mind. He put on some music and went back to his game.


	5. Chapter 5

Link’s mom had gone out to dinner with some family friends. He was supposed to go with her, but he was just too exhausted. Zoning out, he was caught off guard when his stomach began to rumble, reminding him that it was getting late and he still hadn’t eaten. He peeled himself off of the couch and headed into the garage to retrieve a frozen pizza from the freezer. As he was halfway back into the house, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye: a box of razor blades. He stopped and stared at it for what felt like an eternity, mind blank. He placed the cardboard box—containing what would soon be his dinner—on the shelf by the blades. He picked one of them up and held it in front of his face, studying the sharp edge. He shrugged, dropped it into his pocket, and headed back inside with his pizza.

Not knowing when his mother would be home, Link decided to rush through his meal so he could have time to decide whether or not he would go through with what he was thinking about doing. He wished he wasn’t always so curious, because if that was the case, he wouldn’t be about to copy Sarah.

Link walked into the bathroom connected to his bedroom and closed the door, locking it. He sat on the floor and leaned up against the wall. Pulling the razor out of his pocket, he tested its sharpness by poking it gently with a fingertip. He bit his lip, heart about to beat out of his chest. He was definitely on the verge of having a panic attack, but he felt the need to see what this felt like—what Sarah had gone through. He had already made the decision to go through with this, but he still needed to decide where. Thinking about it logically, he knew that he’d have PE, so he couldn’t do it on his wrists. He wound up settling on the inside of his upper left arm. It’d be easy to hide there. Link fidgeted nervously as he pulled up his sleeve. Images of Rhett at his basketball game broke through his subconscious and into the forefront of his mind. The next thing that popped up was the feeling he had when he woke up in a ball of tangled limbs. It was the one time in ages that he felt happy. He knew he needed the experience again, but knew it’d never happen. His chin began to tremble as a blanket of helpless, hopeless thoughts shrouded him in darkness. The welling tears poured over his cheeks when he finally lost all control over his emotions. His entire body was shaking. He raised his unsteady hand to his arm and, without a second thought, pulled the sharp metal across his tight skin.

Before he knew it, there were tiny beads of red forming along the line he had just created. His stomach lurched, realizing what he had just done. He grabbed a tissue and wiped the blood away, but it just kept coming. “No, no, no, no,” he squealed, his entire body still trembling. He sprinted down the stairs and grabbed a Band-Aid. After covering his fresh wound, he was walking back up the stairs to his bedroom. Just as he reached the top, his head began to spin. Link had completely forgotten that he couldn’t handle the sight—or even the thought— of blood. He pushed himself to stay conscious as he sprinted towards his bed. Just as soon as he laid down, he heard the garage door open.


	6. Chapter 6

Link’s mom assumed that her son was asleep, so she didn’t want to wake him up. She left him alone all night, and Link was extremely relieved. It seemed like just minutes before the sun was beginning to rise. He barely slept at all, but when he did, he tossed and turned the whole time. As the room grew brighter and brighter, he gave up on trying to doze off again. Staring at the ceiling, he could focus on nothing other than the slight stinging coming from the slowly healing wounds on his arm.

There was a knock on the boy’s door. “Link?” he heard his mom ask.

“Yeah?” he asked quietly, just loud enough for the sound to travel out of the room.

“You should get up now. You might be late.”

“Okay.”

Was it really already that late? He pulled his groggy self out of bed and got dressed. He slipped on a hoodie before leaving his room to get breakfast.

Soon enough, he was at school, entering his first class of the day. He saw Rhett sitting in the corner at his assigned desk, and Link joined him. “Hey, brother!” Rhett grinned.

“Hey.” Link’s voice was scratchy.

“You okay, man?” Rhett asked, immediately noticing that Link wasn’t himself.

“Yeah. I just didn’t get enough sleep.”

“More like any sleep…”

“True.”

“Do you have something on your mind?” Rhett wondered, concerned.

“No. I’m fine.” All throughout class, Link absent-mindedly itched at the scabs forming. He wasn’t paying attention to the teacher’s voice. It sounded like the adults in the Charlie Brown specials.

The boy didn’t crack a smile or laugh all day, much like many days before. Rhett met up with his friend once more in PE. Link had completely forgotten about changing into their gym clothes… He was going to have to take off his shirt. This would require a lot of concentration on his part. He kept his arms down as much as he possibly could while still looking natural. He was able to change without any problems. This wasn’t the case once gym actually started, however.

Rhett and Link walked side by side outside, where their teacher was waiting for the students. “Sweet. Basketball!” Rhett was excited. He was in his element today. Link, on the other hand, didn’t care.

“Alright, class,” Mr. Jackson bellowed. “We’re obviously playing basketball today. Rhett and Jake, you two will be team captains.”

Rhett jumped up and ran in front of the rest of the class. One by one, the two boys picked their teams. Naturally, Rhett chose Link to be on his side. They gave each other a high five, which left Link with a slight smile on his face. He looked to the ground, trying to ignore the itching that came up every time he lifted his left arm.

“Shirts versus Skins,” Mr. Jackson dictated. “Rhett, your team will be skins.”

Link’s heart stopped. Without a moment of hesitation from his body, tears started welling in his eyes. As he was shaking, he wrapped his arms around his torso and squeezed, as if he were trying to hold himself together. His heart was racing and his breathing was extremely erratic. His legs gave out, and before he knew it, he was sitting on the asphalt in a complete state of panic.

“Neal, stand up,” his teacher scolded, not noticing how truly upset the boy was.

Link didn’t even hear what the man had said. Rhett looked down. “Dude, what the hell’s wrong with you?” He outstretched his arm, giving Link a hand to help him stand. However, Link batted it away and stood up on his own, walking quickly away from the group.

Mr. Jackson grabbed Link by the arm once he was close enough. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I feel sick,” Link lied.

“What kind of sick?”

“Um… I…” Link was a horrible liar.

“That’s what I thought. Back in line.” Link was gently pushed back towards his friend.

“What the fuck was that about?” Rhett mumbled into Link’s ear.

He didn’t answer.

“Alright, boys. Shirts off, hand ‘em to me.” Link, still on the verge of tears, didn’t move a muscle. “Neal! What has gotten into you today!?”

“I need to use the restroom.” This time, Link was not lying. He needed to get out of there, or else he’d make a scene—or, a bigger scene than he already was making.

Just like a moment ago, Mr. Jackson grabbed Link’s arm and dragged him to the side. Under the large man’s grasp, Link could feel the scabs of his wounds start to break. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the pain. “Are you being honest? Because you’ve lied to me before, and I don’t tolerate liars.”

“I am being honest, sir. Really.” The first tear slipped out of his eye and rolled down his cheek.

Immediately, the teacher’s expression softened, as did his grip. “I apologize. Do you need to visit the nurse?”

“Um… I dunno.”

“Well, just head to the restroom and come back if you feel better. If not, I’ll just assume you went home.”

Link nodded, thanking God that he was able to escape the situation. Once inside the boys’ bathroom, he checked to make sure there was nobody else there. When he was sure it was empty, he removed his shirt like he was supposed to back on the basketball court. Just as he had thought, Mr. Jackson’s grip had broken a couple scabs. Although not nearly as bad as the night before, blood was starting to come through, staining the inside of his shirt. His chest was heaving as he tried his best to breathe. How was he going to fix this? There was no way in hell he could go ask the nurse for some Band-Aids. Looking around, he spotted a roll of toilet paper. Link lunged forward, not wasting any time. He unrolled some, wrapping it around his arm and tying a tight knot so it wouldn’t slip. The frantic boy managed a smile before throwing his shirt back on. He ran back to the locker room to change back into his own clothes before heading up to the nurse’s office.

“Hello,” she sang in her typical cheery tone.

“Hi,” Link mumbled, not making eye contact.

“What’s wrong?” the woman at the desk asked.

“My stomach is upset.”

“Do you want to lie down, or—“

“I’d much rather go home, Miss.”

The nurse nodded, and Link let out a sigh of relief. Not knowing what would happen at school the next day, at least he had gotten out of it for now.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a week later. Link’s motivation had completely dissolved. He could barely pull himself out of bed. Under the boy’s bed were tissues stained crimson. He was afraid to throw them away because his mom would most likely see them. He wanted—no, needed—to see Rhett, but he knew he couldn’t handle it mentally. Being with him at school was hard enough, but being alone with him was another thing entirely.

Unfortunately, Rhett had called and invited him over. Just like the night Link had slept over, the other boy’s family had gone out, leaving him behind. “Link, you need to get out of the house.”

“No. I don’t,” he argued. But it was no use. Just like last time, he found his way slowly to his best friend’s house.

The door opened, but Link didn’t look up from the ground. “Hey!” Rhett said, clearly excited to see Link.

“Hey.”

Rhett immediately knew something wasn’t right with the boy. “Um, Link? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, okay…” Rhett didn’t know what to say in these types of situations. “Come in, I guess.”

He stepped aside to allow his guest into his home. An uncomfortable silence filled the building for an excruciating amount of time. The boys were on the couch together, neither one of them knowing what to say. Link was scared to open his mouth, in fear of what he might say in the presence of his secret crush. Rhett, on the other hand, didn’t want to open his mouth, not wanting to upset his friend. Suddenly, Link couldn’t contain himself any longer. The scent of the boy next to him, the feeling of the warmth radiating from his skin, it was all too much. He burst into tears. He had been holding them back for ages, but couldn’t any longer. He could barely breathe, his chest was heaving, and he couldn’t see anything through his watery eyes.

Rhett gasped. “Fuck! Link, what the hell is wrong with you?” Link was unable to speak. Instead, without thinking, he leaned onto his friend’s shoulder, burying his head in the boy’s neck. “Link, please talk to me? Link? Link, what’s wrong?” He tentatively placed a hand on his friend’s back.

Gasping for air, Link managed to choke out, “Rhett, I—“ before immediately going back to his previous state.

“Link!” Rhett grasped his friend by the arms, trying to hold him upright. Link whimpered, pain shooting throughout his body. Instead of only having wounds on the inside of his left arm, there were now wounds on the inside and outside of both arms. Rhett’s firm grip pulled the skin in such a way that caused a few scabs to rip open. He fell off of the couch and onto the floor, folding into himself. Now in the fetal position, his entire body was trembling on the carpet. “Link, you’re scaring me!”

“I need some Band-Aids,” Link sobbed.

“Why?”

“I just do!”

Rhett slowly backed into the kitchen, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. He found a small box of Band-Aids and tossed it to Link from across the room. Still shaking, Link picked up the box and opened it. “Link?”

“Rhett,” Link stammered.

“Yeah?”

“I need help. I can’t look.”

“Look at what? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

A fresh stream of tears began to pour from Link’s eyes. With some difficulty, he managed to pull off his shirt. What Rhett saw shocked him. Small trickles of blood were coming out of his friend’s arms, clearly from self-inflicted wounds. He knew how much Link hated blood. The boy needed him now more than ever. Rhett ran over and dropped to the floor, frantically opening the wrappers and covering Link’s cuts. When he had finally cleaned his friend’s skin, he stood and said, “Let me go get one of my shirts for you.”

When he returned, Link had managed to stand up. He was hunched over, face damp, and knees wobbly. “Thanks,” he whispered, taking the grey shirt that Rhett handed him.

“Link, what the hell did you do that for?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Link, you told me you were fine. I’ve known that’s not true for a while. Please, just talk to me.”

Link shook his head. Rhett began to approach him, and he instinctively backed away. “Stop it,” he whispered.

Rhett didn’t respond, but instead grabbed the other boy by the wrists and pulled him closer, allowing him to wrap him in a strong embrace. Link’s body lost all tension as he melted into his friend. His entire weight was being supported by Rhett’s tall figure. “Link, please tell me what’s going on?” he asked again.

Link shook his head against Rhett’s chest, clutching desperately onto his shirt. Without a second thought, Rhett let his fingers run through the smaller boy’s ebony hair. Still trembling, Link’s muffled voice uttered, “What’s wrong with me, Rhett?”

“I don’t know, man! You tell me!”

“I can’t.”

“Dude! Please! If you can’t tell me—“

“I can’t tell anybody. I can’t, Rhett. I just can’t.”

Link wiggled out of Rhett’s arms and headed for the door. “Link, stop!”

“I can’t,” he said once more.

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere where you aren’t.”

“Why!? What did I do?”

“You… You… I… Everything… Nothing… You didn’t… I…” Link was stumbling over both his words and his feet as he tried to get out of his friend’s presence.

“Link, stop! Don’t go!”

“I have to!”

“Why!?”

“I can’t look at you.”

Link didn’t wait for Rhett to say another word. He ran down the street a ways before stopping in his tracks. Where was he going? He couldn’t go back home—his mom would freak out if she saw him like this. Wait. He knew exactly where to go. It was one of his favorite places in the world.

He turned and ran down the street in the opposite direction, tears still streaming down his face. When he got to the edge of the woods, he stopped for a moment, trying to decide which abandoned house he would stay in for a while. He clearly didn’t want to go to the one with the mural of the naked woman. He thought for a long time, before finally deciding on his all time favorite. It took him a moment to remember exactly where it was, but he arrived at the doorstep soon enough. He entered the old dilapidated home. The trees that were growing up through the floorboards and the ferns that somehow found their way inside always gave him a sense of wonder. He was in another world when he was in these homes. It was his own unique form of a “tree house.” He walked over to the only arm chair still sturdy enough to sit in and dropped onto the cushion. Letting out an unbelievably long sigh, he let his eyes close.

Terrifying images started playing in his mind, all of which involved Rhett deserting him, beating him up, or telling everyone that he was a freak, all because of his sexuality. If he told Rhett what he truly thought of him, there was no doubt that other people would find out. Rumors spread fast in their small town. Soon enough, people at the church would hear of his disgusting thoughts, and then everyone there would hate him, too. He already felt abandoned—just as abandoned as the house he was currently hiding in—although nothing had happened yet.

Link was sitting in that old chair for three hours before he couldn’t take anything anymore. His mind suddenly snapped. Hopelessly lost in his own despair, he headed into the kitchen to root around in the cupboards and drawers. He found what he was looking for—a knife. He stared at it for a long time before holding out one of his wrists. It could all be over so easily. All of his pain, stress, and hatred towards himself would be gone forever. Just as he began to lower the knife’s blade to his skin, there was a loud bang from the entryway.

“Link!? Where are you!?” he heard Rhett scream.


	8. Chapter 8

Upon hearing Rhett’s voice, Link quickly but quietly put the knife back into the drawer he took it from. He walked into the entry way to find Rhett. “How did you find me?” he asked.

“Where else would you be!?” Rhett said, clearly angry. “Why did you run away like that?”

“I needed to get away from you,” Link said, sitting in the arm chair like before.

“Dude, why?”

“Because I can’t even look at you anymore, Rhett.”

“Why, though?”

“I already said I can’t tell you.”

“Link,” Rhett said, sitting on the floor in front of the boy, “why can’t you tell me? We’re blood brothers. You know you can trust me!”

“If I tell you this, you’ll hate me. And then you’ll tell everyone else. And then EVERYONE will hate me.”

“What the fuck, man? If you told me a secret I wouldn’t run around blabbin’ to everyone!” Rhett inched forward and took one of Link’s hands in his.

Naturally, Link’s heart skipped a beat. The feeling of Rhett’s soft skin against his, holding on tightly to comfort him, was indescribably pleasant. He glanced from the interlocked hands to the floor. “I’m sorry, Rhett. I can’t tell you.”

“Well, if you can’t tell me, promise me you’ll go talk to the pastor?”

Link bit his lip, contemplating the pros and cons of this. He nodded slowly. He trusted Pastor Jared. He was a young man, barely into his 30’s. He had a great sense of humor and got along great with all the kids. “I… I can do that,” he mumbled.

Rhett dropped Link’s hand. “Okay. Let’s go back into town.”

Link really didn’t want to, but he knew there was no choice. He needed to go talk to the pastor before he left church for the day. The two boys trudged through the overgrown woods in silence before finally, Rhett mumbled, “You’ve been really scaring me, Link. That day in gym… What was that about? Because I knew you weren’t sick.”

“It was about the cuts,” he mumbled.

“Oh. I didn’t even think of that. Shirts versus skins… Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Back in town, the two boys parted ways. Rhett headed back home and Link headed towards the church. On the verge of having a panic attack, Link was sweating and having trouble catching his breath. When he approached the building, he stopped outside of the door. He wanted to try to avoid contact with as many people as possible on his way to Pastor Jared. He decided to go in through a side door. After walking towards the end of one hallway, he knocked on a door to his left.

“Come in!” he heard the man’s voice call. Good. He didn’t have to wait.

He opened the door slowly and slipped in, closing it behind him. “I… Um… I need to talk to you.”

“Ah! Link! What’s up, man?” Link scratched the back of his head as he tried to come up with the words to say. “Wow, something’s wrong.” Pastor Jared stood and took Link’s hand, guiding him towards an arm chair much like the one in the abandoned house. “Is this serious?”

Link’s chin was trembling. “Yeah,” he managed to choke out.

“Link, it’s okay. If you want to cry, then cry. You know you can trust me.”

Despite the man’s words, Link still tried his best to hold back his tears. “Do you remember how I told you that all of the other guys at school were obsessed with girls and I wasn’t?”

“I do,” the man nodded. “If you’re still feeling like you’re left out, I promise you, things will change.”

“No, Pastor. You don’t get it.”

“Explain, Link.”

A steady stream of tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to think of an acceptable way to explain himself. “I think… I…” He gasped, trying to contain his emotions.

“I think I know what you’re about to say,” the pastor sighed. The man sat up and kneeled next to Link, pulling him into a side hug. “You can trust me. It’ll feel better to tell somebody.”

“I like Rhett. Like, a lot.” Link was trembling violently as he sobbed into the man’s neck.

“Shhh, Link, it’s alright!”

“No it’s not! It’s not alright! Rhett’s gonna hate me forever!”

“Why would he hate you?”

“Because boys don’t like boys. It’s disgusting. It’s not natural. It’s gross. And Rhett is my best friend and he—“

“You two are blood brothers, right?” Link nodded. “Blood brothers don’t give up on each other!”

“This is different,” Link growled. “We’re supposed to be brothers. My disgusting brain is messing with that. I can’t even look at him without…without…” Link closed his eyes and shook his head, images from the basketball game popping into his mind.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I guess,” Link whimpered.

“Have you ever…fantasized…about him?”

Link began sobbing again, this time louder. “Yeah!”

Pastor Jared pulled the boy into an embrace. Link wrapped his arms around the man’s back and grabbed on for dear life. “It’s okay, little buddy. It’s okay.”

“No it isn’t!”

“Yes! It is!” The pastor began rubbing soft circles on Link’s back, trying desperately to calm him down. “Link, you need to tell Rhett.”

“I can’t, Pastor. He’ll tell everyone. I’ll get beat up.”

“You know you can trust Rhett with your life.”

“I don’t know about this. This is…different.”

“This secret is eating you from the inside out, Link. You need to tell him. Do you feel better telling me?”

Link pulled away from the man’s embrace, looking him in the eye. He gasped, trying to catch his breath, and wiped tears from his eyes. He nodded.

“I mean it, Link. You have to tell Rhett. He’s been in here to talk to me recently.”

“He has?” Link wondered.

“Mmhmm. He’s worried about you.”

“Why?”

The pastor chuckled. “Why!? Link, have you seen yourself recently?”

Due to the older man’s laughs, Link couldn’t help but crack a smile. “But, Pastor, I can’t tell anybody. I’m surprised you aren’t angry. Rhett forced me to come talk to you.”

“Well, I’m glad he did. And nobody said you had to tell everybody. I know for a fact your mother will still love you. Rhett will just be happy to know what’s been upsetting you.”

“I don’t wanna tell my mom, though.”

“Well, then don’t. You’ll need to tell her eventually, but there’s no need to right away.”

Link wiped his face once more. The pastor handed the boy a tissue. “Rhett has been hittin’ on all the girls, though. He’s gonna, like, think… He’s gonna… He’s gonna be grossed out.”

“Link,” he said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “we live in the south. A lot of people will be grossed out. Rhett, however, is not one of them. I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Just have faith, Link.”

“Thank you, Pastor Jared.”

“Just have faith,” the man repeated under his breath, pulling Link in for one final hug before sending him on his way.


	9. Chapter 9

Just like every morning, Link met up with Rhett in their first period class: French. The shorter boy sat in his desk next to his friend, only maintaining eye contact for a millisecond. “Link?” Rhett asked, tentatively.

“I talked to the pastor,” he mumbled, glancing at Rhett’s hands, which were placed lazily on the top of his desk.

“Already?” Rhett hadn’t expected Link to take his advice so quickly. He knew the boy would do it eventually, but not right away.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“And he told me I needed to tell you what was going on in my head.”

“Well, duh! That’s what I’ve been sayin’, dummy!” Rhett lightly punched Link’s shoulder, causing the both boys to wince. “Shit, sorry. I forgot about—“

“It’s alright,” Link interrupted, not wanting to risk anybody hearing what Rhett was about to say.

“So, what’s been going on?”

“I need to tell you when we’re alone.”

“Okay, little buddy. I get it.”

Rhett leaned in and pulled Link in for a gentle but firm hug. Link instinctively nuzzled his nose into the other boy’s neck. Luckily, before anyone noticed, their teacher started class, snapping Link out of his trance.

Link had planned on confessing everything to Rhett after school that day, however, the youth pastor had asked all of the parents to send their kids to the church for a chat. There were whispers amongst the teens as everyone tried to guess what the reasoning behind this impromptu sermon was. Link was sweating. He knew exactly what it would be about, and he was desperately praying that Pastor Jared was not about to accidentally out him. He knew the man would never do it on purpose, but it was always a possibility. As the pastor stepped in and greeted all of the kids with his charming smile, his gaze lingered for a little bit longer on Link. He gave the boy the slightest of nods before heading to his chair in the front of the room. He didn’t like standing at a podium. He thought it felt too impersonal.

“So, I bet you’re all wondering what you’re doing here.”

“No shit,” one of the boys’ friends from school called from the back corner of the room.

The pastor rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, but not angry. “I’m not going to dance around the subject. We’re talking about sexuality. I know you’ve all been learning about anatomy and intercourse in science class.” A collective blush passed over all of the teens, which caused Pastor Jared to burst out in laughter. “This isn’t going to be some huge rant warning you all on the sins of premarital sex.” A couple of the boys let out a sigh of relief. “What this is about, however, is homosexuality.”

“Huh?” a girl who Link didn’t know very well asked. “Isn’t that, like, when a boy likes to have sex with another boy?” Link bit his lips and looked to the floor. This was the moment he was dreading.

“Either two males or two females, Dana. It’s not only sex, though. All it means is that they love each other.”

“That’s gross!” she gasped. A couple of the other kids agreed wholeheartedly. Link felt like he was going to throw up. He tried his best to act normal, like this wasn’t bothering him.

“As many of you know,” Pastor Jared began, “I’m originally from California. For the most part, this is acceptable. And I want you guys to know that it is not a sin, as many people may try to tell you.”

“How so, Pastor?” one boy asked, raising a hand. “What about Adam and Eve?”

“It says it’s a sin in the Bible!” another boy added.

The pastor glanced at Link for a brief moment before speaking once more. “What do God and Jesus teach us?”

“Love!” The girl who shouted this out, Michelle, was a really good friend of Link’s. He never really talked to her outside of school, but they got along great. Link smiled slightly.

“And forgiveness!”

“Good. Exactly. Love. We are taught to love one another. We are taught to forgive. How, then, is a man loving another man or a woman loving another woman a bad thing?” A long, heavy silence passed over the room. “If at first you are upset with somebody you know loving somebody of the same sex, forgive them, for they are doing no wrong.” The Pastor’s words echoed all throughout the room. Link understood what the man was doing now. He was trying to get all of his peers to accept his feelings just in case Link’s secret were to get out.

“But…” Dana wanted to come up with an argument, but couldn’t.

“If any of your parents are offended by this, just remember that homosexuality is not a sin. All it is, is two humans showing love for one another. And how could that be bad?”

With that, the pastor dismissed the children. A few of them walked up to him to ask more questions. As the group exited the building, Link could hear everyone muttering to each other. “Why wouldn’t he wait to bring this up this weekend?” one girl asked.

“Probably because one of us is gay!” somebody suggested. This elicited a few gasps.

Link’s friend Michelle walked up to him from behind, nudging his side softly. He looked down to meet her gaze. All she did was wink and mumble, “It’s just love.” After that, she ran off down the street. Link’s jaw dropped. Did she know!?

Rhett and Link turned a corner, veering off from the rest of the group. “Hey, we’re alone! Can you tell me what’s been going on now?” Rhett asked.

Link looked at the ground and kicked a rock across the street. “I… Um…” Link wanted desperately to tell the boy before him what his true feelings were, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Not yet. “I’m not ready to.”

“Tomorrow?”

Link considered his options. The longer he waited to tell Rhett, the more worked up he would get. He needed to tell him sooner rather than later. “Can I spend the night?”

“Sure. You have to promise not to freak out this time, though.”

“I’ll try.”

Link turned and looked up at the taller boy as they walked side by side down the street. Rhett glanced down to meet his friend’s gaze before stopping. Link raised a confused eyebrow. Before he was able to say anything, Rhett wrapped his long, slender arms around him, rubbing his back. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Link,” he whispered. “Promise me you won’t hurt yourself anymore?” Link nodded against Rhett’s chest. When they released each other, they parted ways.


	10. Chapter 10

“Hey, mom?” Link asked.

“Yes, darlin’?”

“Do you mind if I spend the night at Rhett’s tonight? I know it’s a school night, but—“

“I don’t mind. I’ve been trying to get you out of the house and socializing for weeks now. Go on out and have fun, baby.”

“Thanks.”

Link quickly packed his backpack full of clothes, toiletries, and the books he’d need for school the next day. He swung his bag onto his shoulder and headed out, trying to suppress the panic attack he could sense was coming on. He was chewing on his bottom lip all the way to Rhett’s home. With each step, his heartbeat sped up.

Upon knocking, the door immediately swung open. “Hey,” Rhett mumbled, stepping aside. As Link stepped over the threshold and passed the boy, Rhett added, “We’re gonna talk, right?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna talk.”

“When?”

Link dumped his bag onto Rhett’s bedroom floor and sat down on the bed. “I dunno, Rhett. I don’t wanna tell ya right away and ruin the night, but I don’t want to hold this in for too much longer.”

“Why don’t you tell me before everyone gets home? Just get it out of the way.”

Link looked to his feet swinging just above the floor. How would he explain this? “Well, to begin, you have to promise to not hate me.”

“I could never hate you, brother!”

“You have to promise not to tell anybody.”

“I already told you I wasn’t gonna.”

“You have to promise not to freak out, because I know I’m gonna freak out, and if you freak out and make me go home, then my mom’s gonna see me freakin’ out—“

“Link,” Rhett cut him off, “cool it. It’s okay.”

Still looking to the floor, he nodded slowly. “Well… Um…”

“Link, please tell me you’re not about to cry already?”

Link was starting to get choked up, but when Rhett had said this, it put Link’s stress over the edge. Slow streams of tears began falling from his eyes. “I… Um… I’m… I… Rhett, I can’t say.”

Rhett let out a long, deep sigh. “Please, Link!” He was getting sick of Link dancing around the subject.

“I like you!” the boy called out, unable to hold it in any longer.

“Well, I like you, too, but—“

“No, Rhett. I mean I like you. That sermon—“

“Woah woah woah. You’re saying… You’re saying that you… You…”

Rhett subconsciously began to back away from the boy, which caused Link to go from crying softly to choking out sobs. He jumped off of the bed and started heading towards the boy’s bedroom door. “I knew you’d hate me. I know I’m gross.”

“Fuck, Link! Quit it!” Rhett grabbed his friend by the wrist and dragged him back to his original seat on the side of the bed. “I don’t hate you, man!”

“But I’m constantly spending the night here with you. We change in the locker rooms together. I’ve seen ya naked, man, and here I am tellin’ ya I’ve got a crush on you.”

“Link, calm down.”

“What’s wrong with you, man!? Why are you not freakin’ out!?”

“Because I kinda… Um…” Rhett started rubbing the back of his neck, contemplating whether or not to continue his thought. “I sorta thought… I kinda already knew. Well, I had an idea.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah. The last time you spent the night and I said I had a dream we were cuddling, I lied. I was awake.”

“But… You said…”

“I said I liked it. And I did. And every time I see you upset I wanna do it again.”

“So you really don’t care?”

“Nope.”

“But, Rhett! I have a huge crush on you. I’m practically in love with you. And I know you feel like we’re brothers and that makes this nasty. We can’t—“

“I never said that.”

“What?”

“You’re cute, Link,” Rhett giggled.

Link squinted his eyes at the tall boy sitting before him. “I swear to god, Rhett,” he growled. “If you’re pullin’ my leg… I mean, you’re always hittin’ on all the girls. You’re not gay, man!”

“I like girls, too. But…”

“You mean you like both!?”

Rhett shrugged. “I dunno. I know I like girls, and I like you.”

“But you’ve been acting so normal! How have you been so…calm? I’ve been over here doin’ this!” Link held out his arms, reminding his friend of all his wounds.

“I don’t know, Link. I really don’t.”

The room was silent except for the sounds of Link sniffling, trying to stop his tears. “So, we… We…”

“Yeah. I like you, too.”

Link’s cheeks turned into a bright red and stood, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy. Like so many times before, he buried his face into the base of Rhett’s neck, only this time, he didn’t try to hide it. Before he knew it, he felt Rhett’s soft lips press against his own neck. “Do I have to sleep on the floor tonight?” he squeaked, sitting back.

“Nah. I want to cuddle again.”

Link smiled.

The two boys spent their time playing cards, drinking soda, and eating lots of sweets. When it was time for bed, the two boys changed into a pair of boxers and brushed their teeth. The whole time they were standing side by side at the sink in front of the mirror, they kept exchanging sweet, shy glances. Making eye contact for just a brief moment, they both blushed. Link couldn’t help but sneak little looks at Rhett’s toned muscles, but what he didn’t know was that the other boy was doing the same thing. Link followed Rhett into his bedroom. The taller boy pulled back the sheets and crawled in, motioning for Link to join him.

“This is weird,” Link giggled quietly.

“Just come on. You need some nice cuddles.”

Link grinned for the first time in months. “Alright,” he sighed.

He crawled into bed next to his friend. The boys immediately wrapped their arms around each other, and Link rested his head on Rhett’s chest. One of Link’s legs moved so it was between Rhett’s. They were in one big ball of limbs now. Both smiling, they drifted off to sleep in that position, not moving at all throughout the night.

Rhett awoke the next morning to the harsh sunlight coming through his blinds. He shielded his eyes from the sun and glanced at his clock. “Shit,” he whispered. They really needed to start getting ready for school.

He shook Link lightly. The smaller boy—which seemed like a puppy in Rhett’s arms—moaned softly. “Nooooo.”

“Link, we gotta go to school, man.”

Link opened his eyes. Immediately remembering the events that had occurred the night before, he sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around his friend. “I love you, Rhett,” Link cried.

“You’ve been awake for 30 seconds and you’re already crying, buddy. You really need to get a grip before class,” Rhett laughed.

Link pulled back and wiped his wet, tear-stained face. “Sorry,” he giggled.

The two boys got ready quickly and rushed to school. Due to their lockers being in completely different parts of the main hallway, they parted ways briefly before French. During this time, Link’s classmate Michelle walked up to him. “Hey, Link,” she said, a mischievous tone in her voice.

“Hey,” he replied.

“Sooo… About that sermon last night…”

“What about it?” He was internally panicking.

“I think it’s really sweet.”

“What?”

“I know that you’re gay,” she whispered into his ear.

“How?” He didn’t even try to deny it at that point.

“I can just tell. You look at Rhett the way a lot of my girlfriends look at him.”

“Oh. Is it really that obvious?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t think anybody else knows…”

“Please please please don’t tell!” he begged.

“You can trust me. Does anybody know but me?”

“I told Rhett last night.”

“What!? Really!?”

“Yeah. We had a sleepover and I told him.”

“Woah. That’s crazy. What was his reaction!?”

Link shifted his weight and stared at the ceiling, trying to contain his giggles. “Well…”

“Oh my god! He likes you back!?” She squealed and pulled the boy into a hug. “I’m so happy, Link!”

“Michelle, can you let go, please? I gotta get to class.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry. You sit next to Rhett in there, right?”

“Yeah…”

“You two are in the back corner, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“If you don’t hold hands, I’m going to slap both of you.”

Link snorted in amusement. “I dunno about that.”

“I mean it, Link.” They said their goodbyes and headed in opposite directions. Suddenly, Link heard Michelle call his name. He turned around to see her running back to him. She took a hold of both of his hands and mumbled, “You can come to me any time. If anybody starts to get suspicious, I’d be more than happy to pretend to be your girlfriend.”

Link chuckled loudly. “Okay.” Before running off again, Michelle leaned upwards on the balls of her feet, allowing her to kiss Link on the cheek.

Link could not believe what had happened over the course of just a few hours. He walked to French class in a complete daze, falling into his chair beside Rhett. Before he knew it, he noticed that his fingers were intertwined with his best friend’s under his desk. They sat closer than normal at lunch, and purposely stayed side by side during their run in P.E. Link hadn’t been that happy in months. He didn’t think he had ever been that happy. 

The two boys walked home together. Once getting away from the crowd of students, they felt their fingers intertwine together quite naturally. It didn’t feel weird or foreign to either one of them. This was surprising to Link, but not nearly as surprising as what came next.

At the point in the street where they were forced to part ways, Rhett leaned down and kissed Link softly on the lips. The kiss was tentative and extremely awkward, but the boy clearly meant it. Rhett’s whole face turned a bright red before he ran home. Link stood in one place staring blankly at nothing in particular for an entire five minutes before he was able to finally start walking again. The past couple of weeks for him were insane. He went from being at the lowest of lows to the highest of highs, where he stayed for what felt like an eternity. The two boys did have to utilize the help of Michelle and one of her friends in order to hide their true feelings, but this didn’t stop them for sharing brief moments of affection throughout their school days. Eventually, they felt the need to come out, and luckily, almost nobody cared. They were in love, and that would never—could never—be a bad thing.


End file.
